Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Paula Cole and bandmates Jay Bellerose (drums) and Ross Gallagher (upright base, guitar, backing vocals) took the stage at Yoshi’s in Oakland on September 17, 2024 in front of an appreciative, mature crowd who were delighted she made the stop in Oakland on her limited tour supporting her new album, 2024’s Lo.

Over a 12 song, hour and a half set, Cole played deep catalog favorites like “Bethlehem,” “Tiger,” and finished the night with everyone’s popular favorite, the Dawson’s Creek smash hit “I Don’t Want To Wait.” Strong new songs from Lo were woven in, like “Green Eyes Crying” and “Take It Take It Take It.” She entertained fans with some storytelling, and talked about her friend Mark Hutchens who “The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr.” was written for, and talked about her mom’s health before playing beautiful new song “Follow the Moon” which was written for her. She worked in “Feelin’ Love” towards the end of the night, which has a spot on the universe’s CD shelf next to Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite for certain sultry summer evenings, which got a big response from the crowd. She talked about stages of life, and mothers and mothering came up quite a bit, and it was amazing to see her undiminished star, still so full of raw talent, after many decades in the music industry. And really, if she’d only just played “Tiger” and then left to go home it would have been worth the price of admission – I haven’t seen anyone lay themselves bare on a stage like that in years.

Special acknowledgement must be given to bandmates Jay Bellerose and Ross Gallagher, who alongside Cole’s piano fully filled the room with a rich sonic landscape. Bellerose has been with her since the beginning, and is a human drum machine, unquestionably one of the most inventive, exciting, and proficient drummers in the business. Gallagher’s expertise and creativity with his upright base, guitar playing, and high-octave backing vocals completed the fullness of the set.

Paula Cole’s fall 2024 tour continues for several dates through the end of October – check out paulacole.com for all the latest.